Author Talk: Taro Meyer: Taros advice on bullies like Renee

Today’s “Author Talk” with Taro Meyer… Author of Emma G. Loves Boyz

Renee is depicted as a bully as well as Emma’s nemesis. What advice do you have for girls that deal with bullies like Renee?

I think it’s important to get involved in something that really, truly interests you. It gives you inner focus and lessens the bully’s power to make you feel bad about yourself. That’s kind of how Emma deals with it on a day-to-day basis. Even though she’s a little insecure, she is more focused on her writing and her friends. And of course, on Boyz3000. But sometimes, no matter what you try, bullies just keep at it and that hurts. Whether it’s Renée’s kind of bullying or cyber-bullying, talk to your parents. Even if the situation is embarrassing, talk to them. They care more about your safety and happiness than anything else.

Thanks, Taro!

You can get your own copy of Emma G. Loves Boys on Amazon

Author Talk: David Saperstein: How Can Readers Discover More About You…

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Today’s “Author Talk” with David Saperstein… author of Red Devil: The Book of Satan & Green Devil: The Book of Belial

David Saperstein

How can readers discover more about you?

If my publishers don’t help them find me, and my agents don’t help me find them, and my social network folks don’t help them find me then I’ll just keep writing and pass it along to my children and grandchildren.

What advice would you give aspiring writers?

First of all, understand that writing is a craft. So is painting. So is composing. Learning the craft is only accomplished by doing it. The more that you do it, the better you will get. That’s guaranteed. Don’t talk about it. Do it! The creative aspect? Who’s to say? That, I believe, can be a gift, or a lightening bolt, or serendipity.

You can buy David’s books now on amazon by clicking on the images below…

       

Author Talk: David Barnhart: Accomplishing Messy Anne…

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Daniel Barnhart, John Uhrich, kidlit, Messy Anne meets the monstrosity

Today’s “Author Talk” with Daniel Barnhart… author of Messy Anne Meets the Monstrosity

What do you want “Messy” to accomplish?

D: Ideally, perhaps fantastically, I want her to inspire girls to be their own person, and boys to admire and respect girls for who they are, as individuals and not as “girls” first.

Do you think it’s ironic that Messy Anne is developed by two men and it’s primarily about women?

D: Again, I don’t think it’s “about” women. I think it’s about fun primarily. And it’s also about seeing women as individuals from an early age. Just identifying that a girl can be a hero, can be an adventure star, and not thinking about her as a “girl hero” or “girl adventure star”.

But still, it’s from a man.

D: Yep. But that’s part of the stereotype perpetuation as well. You might rather say that as a man, who’s worked in marketing and entertainment and been married to a very strong woman and chose to adopt a girl from a third world country, that I am uniquely qualified to bash through all the stereotypes without baggage either for or against, and simply write a character that is an individual first, and not a girl or a boy character.

JOIN THE ADVENTURES OF MESSY ANNE MEETS THE MONSTROSITY!!!!!!!!!

 

Author Talk: David Saperstein: Where Do You See Publishing Going In The Future…

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Today’s “Author Talk” with David Saperstein… author of Red Devil: The Book of Satan & Green Devil: The Book of Belial

David Saperstein

Where do you see publishing going in the future?

When I had the good fortune to have first novel on the Internet, it gave me an insight as to where publishing might go. I held back publishing some of my novels, and reverted the rights of others back to me as soon as I could. That day arrived and I was able to bring any books out – new and previously published. Being in the music business, I watched CD’s, Napster and the Internet change how we buy and play music radically. E-books, the Internet, ipads, smart phones and Amazon came next and the publishing business and how we buy and read books changed radically. Currently Netflix, Amazon, wi-fi, streaming and broadband are changing the TV/Cable business radically and how and what programming we choose to watch. Movies are next. Soon when a film opens it will be available in your home on your large, hi-def screen, same day, on a worldwide basis. Years ago, in 1975, I wrote an essay about all of this titled, “Your Time, Your Station.” It appeared in a book, Woman in the Year 2000, that was derived from a series of documentaries I was commissioned to do by Prentiss-Hall, but was cancelled for lack of funding.

As the means of quality physical production becomes more available, and the venues and outlets of distribution become more becomes accessible, fewer and fewer middlemen and gatekeepers will remain to stand in the way of the creators. I see the future of publishing, music, TV, Cable and movies becoming more personal, ubiquitous fractionalized and accessible worldwide. In simple terms, I see a lot of people creating a lot of stuff and seeking an audience directly. As someone who faces the blank page every day, I think that’s great!

Which social network works best for you?

I leave that up to people who know far more than me about it. I’ve have to spend my time filling that blank page.

More short conversations with David, soon coming up!

You can buy David’s books now on amazon by clicking on the images below…

       

 

Author Talk: Daniel Barnhart: Inspiration For Creating Messy Anne…

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Daniel Barnhart, John Urich, kidlit, Messy Anne meets the monstrosity

Today’s “Author Talk” with Daniel Barnhart… author of Messy Anne Meets the Monstrosity

You did all of this for your daughter?

D: I did it for everyone, but yes, my daughter was the “inciting incident” so to speak.

How did your daughter bring this about?

D: Both my wife and I were professional actors. We’d worked a lot with young people. We’d both done some teaching. We just felt that when the time came for children that we wanted to adopt because there were so many children in need of just love and acceptance. And after doing some research, we decided that it was important to adopt a girl.

Because of the media pressure on women?

D: To some extent, yes. But we also chose to adopt from another country. Our country has horrible adoption policies (for the child/family) unless you are very rich. But there are places in the world where women still don’t have rights. Where they can’t own property. Where they ARE property. I just looked at my wife—who had battled sexism, and who—as a very beautiful woman—had battled stereotypes all her life. And moreover…maybe even mostly…because my wife was unconventionally intelligent she had often been belittled or overlooked. I just thought that if we could make a difference in one life, it would be to raise a woman who had my wife’s strength and sense of self.

What do you mean, “unconventionally intelligent”?

D: Well, it’s not a 1 for 1 comparison…Messy vs. my wife. But look at what we consider “intelligence”. It’s all Math and Science. Even in the schools. And within business it’s all about corporate-speak and being one of the boys. I know because I’ve been there. Today they are starting to talk about “emotional IQ”, but I think it goes beyond that. Because my wife knew herself so well, had done “the hard work” as they say, she had exceptional insight into people and things. But that was often discarded or overlooked because it didn’t come in the proper vocabulary or the accepted form. When we worked together I used to tell people, “She may not be right about what’s wrong, but if she says there’s something wrong then there’s something wrong.” It’s because she could sense the truth of things, of people. The genuineness of something. If you look at our world, there’s a lot less need for Math and Science than there is for a sense of understanding and truthfulness and honesty and compassion. Unfortunately they don’t have test for that.

And you bring that to Messy?

D: That’s all too deep for a children’s book. I just try to include the spirit of what my wife was. Never taking anything at face value. Never accepting a view of herself that didn’t resonate with her own sense of truth. Adventure. Imagination.

JOIN SOME MESSY ADVENTURES WITH ANNE. PURCHASE YOUR COPY TODAY!

Author Talk: David Saperstein: Hardest/Easiest Efforts of Writing, Full-time/Part-time Writing

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Today’s “Author Talk” with David Saperstein… author of Red Devil: The Book of Satan & Green Devil: The Book of Belial

David Saperstein

Whats the hardest thing about writing?

I don’t see it as hard. It is what I do professionally. I guess getting to the place where it is ready to find an audience – when I am completely satisfied I’ve reached that point.

Whats the easiest thing about writing?

Have the characters and circumstance that take you on an interesting, absorbing and wonderful journey.

Do you write full-time or part-time?

I’m a professional. Full time. Except when I directed a film or worked with a rock ‘n roll or R&B act. And then were those trips to “Hollywood.”

More upcoming short conversations with David, stay tuned!

You can buy David’s books now on amazon by clicking on the images below…

       

Author Talk: Reflections from #SweetTales Author, Laurie Hyman

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Animals, Childrens books, Sweet Tales

On why she chose to tell stories that include animals rallying in support of one another who in nature might be adversaries in “Sweet Tales: The Adventures of Britt the Kit,” the first in a series of books that focus on real life experiences and explore universal themes…

Most humans view animals in one way, a way that never varies.   But most animals have been on the planet much longer than we have.  We just assume we are more evolved.  Having said that there is no underling reason as to the choices I made in the ‘Sweet Tales’ stories – it’s what I was writing.  I’ve watched, read about and observed animals my entire life, however.   They have their natural order in nature and much of literature, Television, movies, etc. shows their natural connection to nature and spirituality.  I don’t think anyone can dispute that.  One example would be related to wolves.  They choose to stay away from people unless we are negatively impacting the environment.  I used that theme in “The Prince of Tales” story in the first book with the red fox making himself known only because there is an environmental issue that threatens animals’ lives.  This is actual problem faced by many species today.

CLICK HERE TO PICK UP YOUR COPY OF SWEET TALES!

Author Talk: Daniel Barnhart: Importance of Messy Anne’s Identity…

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Daniel Barnhart, John Urich, kidlit, Messy Anne meets the monstrosity

Today’s “Author Talk” with Daniel Barnhart… author of Messy Anne Meets the Monstrosity

Why is it important that she’s a girl?

D: Well, for all the reasons I mentioned above, about children and pressures and role models. Girls face that so much more than boys. I’m not saying boys don’t face it, but I don’t think it’s so defining.

Give an example.

D: The whole body image for one. The subtle cues that you are defined in relationship to a man and all that. There’s an insistent media push that automatically plays either to or against stereotype. Girls are either plain/smart, pretty/smart, pretty/dumb, plain/wallflower etc. etc.. It’s hard to find a woman character—and I’m not saying there aren’t—just that it’s hard to find a girl/woman character that isn’t defined somehow by the stereotype and stereotypical expectations that are predominantly from a male point of view.

And so Messy Anne is a girl.

D: Hopefully she’s just a person. A person that boys and girls can identify with. But I did make her a girl for a reason; so that boys and girls (because at that age they can) will identify with a girl that’s not fancy or prissy or anti feminine but is just a complete and exceptional person that has nothing to do with if she’s a boy or a girl. And I think at that age they still accept it. Hopefully Messy Anne reinforces and helps it. You don’t have to be a boy to be bold and have adventures and still be intelligent and well-mannered.

JOIN THE MESSY EVENTS IN MESSY ANNE MEETS THE MONSTROSITY

Author Talk: David Saperstein: Favorite film, Available Formats For Sap’s Books, Length of Book Writing…

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Today’s “Author Talk” with David Saperstein… author of Red Devil: The Book of Satan & Green Devil: The Book of Belial

David Saperstein

Whats your favorite film and why?

Not favorite, but most memorable. Citizen Kane. It opened my eyes to cinema techniques as storytelling devices and enhancement as did some of Fellini’s and Bergman’s work.

In what format are your books available?

Paper, e-books, audio books and movies. I had the first full novel on the Internet in 1998.

How long on average does it take you to write a book?

At least a year. But the pot is filling and filling until it comes to a boil and I face that blank page to begin to put all of the thoughts and notes and passion into words.

More short conversations with David to follow…

You can buy David’s books now on amazon by clicking on the images below…

       

Author Talk: Interview with Katherine Noll Author of Mirror Mirror

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Interview with Author: Katherine Noll 

Did you have an alternative ending to Mirror Mirror? If it didn’t have a happy ending would the themes of the book have been as powerful?   

I made sure that the ending didn’t end with a marriage. To me, the true happiness was that Neve was able to find love for herself, as she was right at the moment. It didn’t hinge on a man, but having the attentions of a gorgeous, kind rock star sure helped build Neve’s self-esteem! (And was also super fun to write!) Being able to love herself helped open her up to someone like Taye.

Life isn’t one happy ever after. It’s always different, every day. Some days we feel like we’re living a fairy tale, others a tragedy, and most of the time it just feels mundane as we’re doing the day-to-day stuff to get by. So I wanted to keep the ending open a bit. Would Neve and Taye stay together? What did the future hold?

If there is enough interest, I’d love to continue Neve’s story one day. Life can’t always be happy, but when you start building up a strong tool kit to deal with the problems you’ll face, it can be a lot easier. So it would be interesting to visit Neve as a celebrity with a rockstar boyfriend and a famous actress friend. (I see Lindsey becoming a huge star, don’t you?) How would the limelight affect Neve? What would she want to do with her new voice if people were listening? That’s something I’ve been thinking about, and there will be a preview of what direction Neve’s life has taken in The Not-So-Little Mermaid.

 

 

Click here to pick up your copy of Mirror Mirror by Katherine Noll.